The Hansen's: December 2011

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Christmas Video 2011

Christmas 2011

Or you can just look at the photos below. I do these videos for my kids.

Best Christmas Ever!

We had a great Christmas, but the best part was the kids kept saying "Mom, this was the best Christmas Ever" Here are some of the highlights.

CHRISTMAS EVE

Auri holding up the red hots for the gingerbread cookies on Christmas Eve.

My Mom's Christmas Village.

The Christmas Baking

The Christmas Eve p.j.'s

CHRISTMAS MORNING (6:30am)

Warren getting excited about anything Miami Heat related.

Max and his new iPod.

Auri and her new doll house.

CHRISTMAS AFTERNOON AT MY PARENTS

Me and Spencer after church.

Auri opening a gift from her cousins.

My favorite photo of the day. A candid shot of all the laughs.

Christmas Dinner at the kids table.

Hope you all had a great Christmas!!!!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Happy 10 Year Anniversary, Good Bye December

Spencer and I got married on December 20th. Weird I know. But I remember thinking, every year we'll have to take time out from a busy December and do something cool, just the 2 of us. Well, that kind of backfired for the first 10 years because we were always broke and had really small kids. But this year.... we kind of rocked it for our 10 year Anniversary.

We didn't have a lot of time, so we went on a little staycation to downtown Portland. We stayed at The Nines Hotel that is located right by Pioneer Court house. It was awesome! We shopped, we went out to dinner, we walked around downtown Portland for a while, it was fun. Happy Anniversary to us.

This year it was my favorite December in years. I am so sad to see it go. I'm not ready to stop listening to Christmas music, I'm not ready to pull down the Christmas lights, and I am certainly not ready to give up the Christmas treats. My kids have been amazing this season, I have loved watching Christmas specials on t.v.with them, telling them secrets of what I got their siblings, wrapping gifts with them, driving around looking at lights, taking them out to dinner. Why can't it last 2 more weeks? In January the gym gets busy, the food gets boring, and Spencer goes back to California:(

This is the "library" at The Nines where they served us dessert at 8pm and breakfast at 8am. We probably spent at least 2-3 hours in here reading and talking.

This is our breakfast buffet, what, I always have my oatmeal in a fancy glass.

Our evening dessert with tea and reading. The pumpkin cheesecake was divine.

Pioneer Square Mall all decked out.

Elephants Delicatessen.

The menorah behind the FOX tower.

Where we had dinner.

More hotel glamour.

I love it when someone else makes my bed.

Merry Christmas.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Happy December

The most wonderful shining star at the Methodist Christmas Program!

We have been having a rocking good time this December. I think the fact that it has only rained once and the fact that Spence has only been in California once has been the main source of my joy. But I have really kept is so simple this year, I've said no more times than I'd like to admit, I didn't force traditions, we just did what we had time for and what we really wanted to do and while I'm sure this doesn't make me the most popular person, frankly I couldn't care less. The less stuff I get invited to the less stuff I have to continually say no to. I like to enjoy the holidays with my kids without being a phycho Mom. Here are some activities that I have gone to that I have LOVED.

Auri's Christmas Program, where they don't substitute the word "holiday" for Christmas. It is a Christmas program that celebrates Christ. It is so beautiful.